REVIEW: LNHCP # 40-- ILC # 5

[Tom Russell]

This fifth installment of ILC, written by the prolific Mr. Phipps, was
quite heart-warming and elegiac-- there's something almost zen about
Cheesecake-Eater Lad's decision to spend what might be his last day as
a legionnaire making cheesecake, and something special about Steak-and-
Potatoes Man helping him craft a Cheeseburger Cheesecake.

The story's also full of very amusing and inventive one-liners--
consider Sarcastic Lad's quip about looking for the Ultimate Ninja
near a body of water, "one with fish"; or this classic exchange
between CEL and Dr. Stomper:

>  He looked at Doctor Stomper.  "Is there any hope?
> Any hope at all?"
>   Doctor Stomper mused for a moment.  "Of course.  We
> only assumed that the past four disappearances are, in
> fact, a trend.  They could, in fact, be four unrelated
> disappearances owing to four different unrelated
> circumstances that would not necessarily be valid in
> your case in which case you would continue to be here
> tomorrow morning."
>   "But you don't seriously believe that, do you?"
>   "Not really."

Sometimes Martin's comedy-compass is really on, and sometimes it's a
bit off, but this was one of the cases in which it was really "on".

It's a very sweet and amusing story, full of affection for the
characters and their personalities, with a fair ratio of laughs-to-
plot.  What more can one ask for in an LNH story?

==Tom